TU's Chapter Effectiveness Index is a tool chapters and councils can use to measure their progress over time in the areas critical to TU’s mission. The scores are not used to rate, rank or categorize chapters in any way, and are simply a tool to help volunteers in each chapter gauge where they stand, where they have been and set goals for where they would like to be in the future.

Chapters or councils may not endorse or oppose any candidate for public office, must strictly account for the portion of its activities devoted to lobbying, cannot donate money to a non-501(c)(3) organization or a 501(c)(3) organization that does not further TU’s mission, nor can they grant scholarships to individuals. This document details these IRS related restrictions.

A policy governing conflicts of interests is perhaps the most important policy a chapter or council can adopt. To have the most impact, the policy should be in writing, and the board should review the policy regularly. Keep in mind that the IRS Form 990 asks not only about whether the nonprofit has a written conflict of interest policy, but also about the process that the nonprofit uses to manage conflicts, as well as how the nonprofit determines whether board members have a conflict of interest.

A sample policy your chapter or council might adopt, which includes a code of ethics. For chapters and councils who employ staff, contact volunteer operations for another version of the policy that is specific to staff.

It is important that each chapter and council implement proper management structures, operational policies, and administrative practices, In the Form 990, the IRS asks about policies such as document retention and destruction, ethics and whistleblower policies, and whether or not your board reviews the 990 before the Form is filed.